In an age of continuous ‘news’ broadcasting and publishing, there are still conflicts that exist under the radar. The absorbing study of how the SAS waged a largely unreported war to keep Malaya free from Communist control. Good text with a fascinating photo-plate section – Much Recommended.

Read the full review here.

Firetrench

As featured in

VaeVictis, July-August 2016

From 1963 to 1966 Great Britain waged a secret war to keep the Federation of Malaya free from domination by President Soekarno’s Indonesia and Chinese Communists. At the forefront of the campaign were the men of the 22nd Special Air Service. Working in four man patrols, they befriended the former head hunting border tribes and trained some of them as an irregular military force. As the conflict continued, they went beyond the borders into Indonesia, where they tracked down enemy camps, destroyed supply routes and attacked the soldiers in the riverboats. In his book – published in 1991 and 2003, this paperback edition being published in 2016 - by talking to those who were there, the author reveals what it was like to fight deep in the jungles of Borneo. He also captures the bravery and relentless pursuit of excellence that makes 22nd SAS the elite regiment that it is. Three maps and nearly 40 monochrome photographs are included, as well as a bibliography and an index.

Stuart Asquith, Author